Why Buy the 1560 Geneva Bible Facsimile

If you consider the Protestant Bible translation’s history, the Geneva Bible stands tall. It was the first English Bible, where the scriptures were divided into numbered verses. Its publication was a huge accomplishment, which makes owning the 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile reproduction worth it.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Geneva Bible was the most dominant and widely read English Bible. It played a significant role in promoting scripture literacy among the common people of England.

This was the first time when a Bible came equipped with study resources to help England’s common people easily understand the scriptures. The marginal notes of this Bible included around 300,000 words. This was close to one-third of the text.

These notes were one of the principal reasons behind the soaring popularity of the Geneva Bible. The level of popularity of this Bible could be understood with a single instance - Shakespeare quoted the Geneva Bible in his plays more than 5,000 times!

Why Buy the 1560 Geneva Bible Facsimile?

Not everyone may find the steep price tag of the original 1560 Geneva Bible affordable. But it doesn’t mean you should kill your desire to own and read this historical Bible. The best solution is to get hold of a 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile reproduction.

You just need to ensure you buy it from a reliable dealer of antique and rare Bibles to make your investment worth it. Else, you may end up getting an unauthentic replica with missing pages and illustrations.

What to Look for in a 1560 Geneva Bible Facsimile Reproduction?

You should check for the unique features in your 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile reproduction, some of which were quite radical. One is the numbered verses that each chapter has. Secondly, you should check for the cross-references and explanatory notes in the margin intended to help the readers.

Thirdly, this Bible has a user-friendly Roman-style typeface. This was a deviation from the Gothic Blackletter-style typeface common during those times.

Fourthly, your facsimile should have 30+ woodcut illustrations and maps portraying Biblical views, including labeled images of the Ark of the Covenant, Tabernacle, and more. Since the Geneva Bible had the Apocrypha, you should ensure your 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile reproduction has it too.

Final Words

In Biblical history, the Geneva Bible is the lone Bible that outsold the King James Bible and even exceeded its popularity. Its fame continued until its printing was stopped in 1644. The Geneva Bible was the first Bible brought to America and upon which the nation was founded.

To own a piece of this fascinating history, albeit in a budget-friendly manner, you should get yourself a 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile reproduction.

Original Source: http://geneva-bible.com/why-buy-the-1560-geneva-bible-facsimile.html

Things to Look for in the Geneva Bible Facsimile Reproduction

In the history of Bible translations, the Geneva Bible occupies a special place. It preceded the KJV (King James Version) by 51 years. Considered the most influential Bible, which was also the primary Bible of 16th century Protestantism, the Geneva Bible found its users in Oliver Cromwell, William Shakespeare, John Bunyan, John Donne, and John Knox.

This was the first English Bible that had its scriptures segregated into numbered verses. Since its publication was an enormous achievement, owning the 1560 Geneva Bible is worth every dime you spend to acquire it. But not everyone will find its steep price affordable.

For them, a facsimile reproduction of the Geneva Bible will be worth considering. This Bible was widely read throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and played a large role in boosting the rate of scripture literacy among England’s public.

Things You Should Look For in the Geneva Bible Facsimile Reproduction

The Geneva Bible had some unique features, knowing which will help you check and ensure your facsimile reproduction too comes with them. To begin with, each chapter of this Bible had numbered verses.

A key factor behind the Geneva Bible’s popularity was its “study resources,” which referred to the marginal notes. The translators of this Bible included these notes to help the common people easily understand the Bible. These marginal notes comprised almost 300,000 words, which was approximately one-third of the text.

At the time the Geneva Bible was published, Gothic Blackletter-style typeface was commonly used. However, the Geneva Bible deviated from the norm and used a Roman-style typeface instead, which was easy to use for its readers.

The original 1560 Geneva Bible had 30+ woodcut maps and illustrations depicting Biblical views. Some of the notable among these were the labeled images of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. The Geneva Bible also had the Apocrypha.

When buying a facsimile reproduction of the Geneva Bible, you should check if the copy has all these unique features that the original had, thus ensuring your purchase is worth it.

Final Words

Keep all these features in mind when shopping for the Geneva Bible’s facsimile to ensure you get an authentic facsimile reproduction and not a cheap replica with missing pages and features.

Original Source: http://geneva-bible.com/geneva-bible-facsimile-reproduction.html

What to Know Before Buying the Facsimile of the 1560 Geneva Bible

Religious leaders, who had to flee to Geneva, Switzerland, from England due to Queen Mary’s bloody reign, were instrumental in publishing the 1560 Geneva Bible. If you are looking for a facsimile of the 1560 Geneva Bible for sale, knowing a few things about it will help you decide if the copy up for sale is really what it’s meant to be.

The Geneva Bible was a colossal accomplishment in the history of Protestant Bible translation. It was the work of religious leaders in a time of political and religious upheaval. It was the first Bible in English that had the scriptures divided into numbered verses.

All through the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the most influential and widely read English Bible that helped promote scripture literacy among England’s common people. For the first time, this Bible offered “study resources” in the form of margin notes from the translators, which made it easier for common people to understand the Bible. The marginal notes that included around 300,000 words (almost one-third of the text) was the primary reason of the Geneva Bible’s popularity.

In his plays, Shakespeare quoted the Geneva Bible over 5,000 times. The images in this Bible were painstakingly produced by hand-created woodcuts. If you plan to buy a facsimile of this ancient Bible, it will pay to know certain details about it. These will help you understand the significance of the Geneva Bible for sale and even check if the copy on offer is really the replica of the original.

How It All Began for the 1560 Geneva Bible

During Queen Mary’s bloody reign, where she persecuted her Protestant subjects, several Protestant leaders had to flee England to avoid execution or imprisonment. Switzerland’s Geneva soon emerged as the destination for Protestant biblical scholarship. A group of Protestant leaders gathered in Geneva and decided to start work on a fresh translation of the scriptures into English. This was how the 1560 Geneva Bible came into existence.

It’s also believed that this was the first Bible the earliest colonists probably brought to America, as they fled the Anglican Church’s religious oppression and wanted nothing to do with the KJV (King James Bible).

What Makes the 1560 Geneva Bible Special?

Many people who plan to buy the facsimile of the 1560 Geneva Bible for sale are driven by the multiple, never-before-seen changes in the original Bible that were pretty radical. As mentioned before, it was the first English Bible that had numbered verses added to every chapter of the scripture. Apart from the division of the text into numbered verses, it also included cross references.

For the first time, the Geneva Bible introduced the user-friendly “Roman Style Typeface” instead of the “Gothic Blackletter Style Typeface” that earlier Bibles used exclusively. Another innovation was its extensive textual and explanatory commentary notes positioned in the margins. It also used italics for words that weren’t in the original languages and displayed phrases/words at the head of pages to encourage scripture memorization. All these “study” features helped the common people and even the church leaders to deepen their knowledge of the Bible.

Among some other features that made this Bible revolutionary and its facsimiles quite valuable include more than 30 woodcuts and maps depicting biblical scenes, including labeled illustrations of the Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant, and more. The 1560 Geneva Bible also comes with the Apocrypha (similar to most Bibles that were printed prior to 1800).

The Geneva Bible is the solitary Bible that outsold and exceeded the fame of the King James Bible in the early 1600s. It continued its popular run until 1644, when its printing stopped. It’s ironic that Protestants everywhere embrace the King James Version today (that reads 90% the same as the Geneva Bible), even though the KJV isn’t a Protestant Bible. And sadly, most Protestants haven’t even heard of the Geneva Bible – which is the Bible of their own heritage and produced by Protestant leaders like John Knox, John Calvin, John Foxe, Myles Coverdale, and others.

Final Words

In its commentary notes, the Geneva Bible declared the Pope an “antichrist.” Consequently, it was obvious that Queen Mary won’t tolerate it or the people behind it. Yet, there’s no denying that this Bible was revolutionary. Perhaps this is why there’s a steady demand for high-quality facsimiles of this Bible, and many buyers and dealers of the antiquarian trade look for reproductions of the 1560 Geneva Bible for sale.